Meant To Be
by Lincoln Six Echo
Summary: A ROTS AU. What if Obi-Wan was wounded on Utapau and unable to leave the planet? What if he was helped in his fight against Sidious and Vader by the most unlikely of allies?
1. Chapter 1

**MEANT TO BE**

**By Lincoln Six Echo**

**I-UTAPAU**

The small, nondescript shuttle entered Utapau's atmosphere and headed directly toward a landing deck that protruded from the sandstone wall of the biggest of the planet's sinkhole-cities.

Its pilot still didn't know for sure what had pushed her to leave her safe hiding place behind to travel into the imperial space. She didn't know nor did she want to, because she might not like the answer.

However, the mere fact she was about to land on Pau City made something clear. For better or for worse, _he_ had played an important part in her life. It didn't really matter if she wanted to spit on his tomb or honour it.

She was there for _him_.

Once landed, she exited her ship and walked along the platform, as the wind whipped at her black robe.

A tall Utapaun in a heavy deck-length robe of deep scarlet met her mid way toward the exit.

"Greetings, young traveller," the Utapaun said gravely in ac­cented Basic, bowing in salute. "I'm Tion Medon, master of port administration for this place of peace. What business brings you to our remote sanctuary?"

She sensed no malice in this being, just concern, and it wasn't difficult to guess why. The city she could see still bore the marks of the battle that had been fought in its caves and buildings less than two months before.

She bowed in return and took a deep breath. "I'm here to visit Obi-Wan Kenobi's grave. I read he has been buried here."

Medon gave her a penetrating glance. "Were you his friend?"

"I knew him," she answered noncommittally. Being associated with Jedi was dangerous nowadays. Also, Kenobi had never been her friend, so her reply was correct.

"Master Kenobi's grave is at the bottom of this sinkhole. We buried him on the shore where we found his remains," the Utapaun finally answered. "I will take you there."

"Thank you," she said, swallowing past the lump that had formed in her throat when she had heard the word _remains_. According from the reports, Kenobi had fallen down from the tenth level of Pau City. She didn't want to think what the impact with the ground had done to him.

Medon lead her toward a lift as he explained, "It was I who decided to give Master Kenobi a tomb. The clones would have left him there, but I thought he deserved better. Traitor or not he had fought for the Republic during the war and I didn't wish to leave him there as food for the wild animals."

She nodded, but didn't comment. She had done some research since the Jedi Rebellion, as it had been called, had been quelled in blood, and she knew most of the knights had been slaughtered by the same clone troopers they had commanded and fought with for years.

She had been sickened by it. There were a few feelings she was really familiar with, and loyalty and sense of betrayal were among them. She wondered if Kenobi had had the time to realize his men had turned against him or if his death had arrived fast enough to prevent him from knowing he had been betrayed.

She almost bristled as the lift started its slow descent. Why was she so interested in Kenobi's death? Why did she hope it had been quick and painless?

He had been her enemy. She had imprisoned and tortured him, enjoying his pain. So why was she feeling like this?

_Because_, a voice whispered inside her, _of all the men you knew in your life, he has been the only one who never let you down._

"Here we are," Medon commented when the lift came to a halt and the doors slid open.

They stepped onto a narrow patch of sand delimitated by steep rocky walls, and pools of murky water.

There was a small stone marker in the middle of the shore, and Asajj Ventress walked to it. She then knelt in front of it and touched the damp sand with her open palm.

"Farewell, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she whispered. "It was an honour to have had you as an adversary."

Asajj bowed her head and grabbed a handful of sand, letting it slip slowly between her fingers, watching as the wind blew it away. She imagined it could be Kenobi's ashes. Somehow she thought he would have preferred to have his body consumed by flames instead of rotting in that sinkhole.

_No,_ she corrected, _he would have preferred to be alive._

Suddenly her fist connected with the sand, leaving a small crater in it.

"Damn you Kenobi!" she exclaimed as tears of anger and pain sprang from her eyes. "I had told you to keep a look on the centre of the galaxy! I told you the real danger was on Coruscant. Why did you not listen? Why? Why? WHY?"

A sob escaped her throat as she leant forward, her brow pressed against the sand.

Asajj didn't know how long she stayed still in that position, mourning the loss of a man she should have hated but did not, before something touched her shoulder.

Quick as lighting, she rose to her feet, a vibroblade pressed against Tion Medon's neck.

"Calm down, young traveller, I mean no harm to you," the tall Utapaun said. Asajj relaxed her grip just a little. "I just wanted to tell you something that I'm sure will bring you happiness."

She tilted her head. "What?"

"I'm an empath and I can feel your pain. You loved Master Kenobi-"

Asajj was about to tell him she had never loved the Jedi, but his next words stopped her.

"- so I'm certain you will be happy to know there is no body resting beneath that marker. He's still alive."

Her mouth fell open in shock as her heart started beating faster. "What?" she stammered.

Medon bared his sharp, long teeth in a smile. "Master Kenobi is still alive. My soldiers found him before the clones did and hid him."

"Is he still here?"

"Yes, he is. However, before I bring you to visit him, I must tell you he has been seriously wounded by his fall. He suffered several fractures and he is in a coma."

Asajj Ventress nodded and simply said, "Take me to him."

They boarded the lift again, but they didn't ride all the way up to the top level. Instead the Medon stopped the cabin at a middle level.

When the doors opened, Asajj found herself staring at a bare wall of rock. The Utapaun touched something among the rocks, and a keypad appeared.

"This is the most secret location of the entire planet," Medon explained, a moment before a perfectly camouflaged door slid open.

Her senses fully alert, Asajj followed the tall administrator along a corridor until they reached an area that looked like a hi-tech medical facility.

There guards stood near the door, and a female Utapaun sat at a desk. She raised her head when they entered, and bowed in salute.

"Tion," she greeted with a smile. "I wasn't expecting you today." She looked curiously at Asajj.

"We have a guest, Yram. This a friend of Master Kenobi-"

"Asajj Ventress," she supplied to fill the silence that followed.

"She would like to see Master Kenobi."

The doctor nodded and stood up from the desk and walked toward a closed door. "He is here," she said, palming it open.

Asajj followed her inside an airy, dimly lit room. The furniture was scarce and most of it consisted of medical equipment. However, she paid little mind to it, her attention devoted to the room's only occupant.

Kenobi was lying on a bed in the centre of the chamber. There were sensors connected to his chest and head, registering his heartbeat and brain activity, while two IV's dripped liquids into his bloodstream.

Asajj walked closer to the bed and looked down. Kenobi seemed asleep, but he looked far too pale and thin. Somebody had shaved off his beard and Asajj was almost shocked to see how young he looked without it.

Young and vulnerable.

She frowned. That description didn't fit him.

During their past meetings, she had accused Kenobi of being weak and powerless, but the truth had always been different. He had been the most powerful Jedi she had faced – with the possible exception of Skywalker – and he had been strong enough not to break beneath her tortures, both physical and mental.

Asajj had failed with him, but the anger she had felt when he had managed to escape from her fortress on Rattatak had been mitigated by respect, admiration...and something else she didn't want to even name.

When he had escaped he had taken with him more than her ship and Ky Narec's lightsabre. He had taken away a part of her too.

That part of her was now watching Kenobi's still form, fighting against the desire to reach out and touch him, to reassure herself he was really in front of her.

She lost her struggle. Asajj caressed his cheek and bare chest, the first time since Ky's death she had touched another person in kindness.

She sighed, another unfamiliar gesture, and sat down on the chair by Kenobi's bedside.

"May I be alone with him for a while?" she asked to the doctor and Medon, who were watching her from the threshold.

"Yes, of course," Yram answered. "We will be here should you need us."

The two Utapauns left Asajj alone with the man who had used to be her enemy but was now something completely different.

She threw a last glance to the door, checking it was closed, and reached out with her hand, wrapping it around Kenobi's still one. She watched for a moment the contrast between her white skin and his pink one, then turned his hand around to study it.

It was strong but finely boned, calloused on the palm, but soft on the back. The hand of a warrior and a teacher—just like Ky Narec's. That hand she wondered what it would feel like sliding along her skin…

Asajj shook her head. She admired Kenobi, yes. She respected him both as a warrior and a man. She couldn't deny he was attractive but there was a big difference from envisioning him as her new master to having lustful thoughts about him. She had no time or need for that nonsense.

And yet, even as she was convincing herself she was interested only in Kenobi the Jedi, Asajj Ventress brought his hand to her cheek and held it there. Then she closed her eyes and fell into meditation, basking in his Force signature and in the knowledge that Kenobi the man was still alive.

**A/U: There are slight references to the comics series titled "Obsession". At the end of his series Asajj Ventress"died" in Obi-Wan's arms, but not before telling him to keep an eye on Coruscant because the real danger (the Sith) was there. In reality Asajj didn't die, she had just put herself in a very deep trance and when she finally awoke, she decided she had enough of Dooku (who had ordered her dead), the Jedi and the war, and piloted the ship was on away from the Republic...  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"What's wrong with him?" Asajj asked as she watched Yram remove Kenobi's IV bags. It was the second morning after her arrival, and she had left the Jedi's side only to eat and visit the 'fresher.

The doctor didn't answer, but, pulling away the covers, she took Kenobi by his waist and gently turned him to lay on his belly. She began to massage the man's back, as she looked at Asajj with a frown.

"Physically he is fine. When we found him he was unconscious, with a leg fractured in four points, a broken arm and several cracked ribs. Yet, he had had the strength to swim to the shore and pull himself out of the water, which meant he must have lost consciousness only when he was out of danger. When I examined him, I found no head traumas, so the causes of his coma are quite a mystery—at least for traditional medicine," Yram added in an afterthought, moving her massage to Kenobi's right arm.

"What do you mean?" Asajj prodded, as she imitated the doctor's moves on Kenobi's left arm.

"Master Kenobi is a Jedi and I think his problem maybe connected with his nature."

Asajj tilted her head, encouraging the Yram to go on as the Utapaun struggled to find a way to express herself.

"I once read that the Jedi establish mind links or bonds between themselves and they can feel if one of them dies." Asajj nodded and the doctor went on, "The day Master Kenobi was attacked many other Jedi suffered a similar fate all across the galaxy. So I'm wondering if the trauma of sensing so many of his peers die at the same time may have caused his mind to go in a sort of shock. Maybe he passed out in an attempt to block out what he was perceiving." Yram shook her shoulders. "It's just a theory, of course. I would need the help of a Force healer to discover if it's right or wrong, but nowadays it's very dangerous to search for one."

Asajj nodded. She was all too aware the Empire had started hunting for Force sensitives, chasing and killing them on sight.

The doctor studied her for a long moment then asked, "Are you Force sensitive?"

She nodded.

"Are you a Jedi?"

"No."

"But you care for him?"

"Yes."

"Then, maybe, you could try to reach him."

Asajj's eyes widened in surprise. She had not thought of it.

She looked down at Kenobi's still form. Yram had turned him on his back and was now reconnecting the sensors and the IV bags. She stared at the relaxed face she had caressed the previous night and shivered at the thought of being in his mind. A shiver of pleasure, but also of fear.

Would she be able to help him? Would he accept help from her? After all she had tried to kill him more times than she liked to remember. Why should he trust her?

"_There is no deception in a mental joining." _

Asajj remembered Ky Narec telling her so a lifetime ago. If she joined her mind with his, Kenobi would see everything she was and everything she wanted to be. Was she ready to bare her soul like that?

Yes, she was. She was ready to do everything to help him.

Taking a deep breath to centre herself, Asajj looked up at the doctor. "I will do it."

Yram smiled. "I was hoping you would do."

"I will try now."

"Is there something I can do?"

"Just check his vitals and let me know should he show signs of an unbearable distress."

"All right."

Asajj put both her hands on Kenobi's brow, near his temples. She took another deep breath and called on the Force. Then, as her concentration increased, she closed her eyes and plunged inside the Jedi's mind.

As she did it, she did not know what she would find there. She was ready to find pain, confusion, perhaps even madness.

Instead she found only stillness. Everything was calm and placid—but not peaceful.

This wasn't the result of a state of complete serenity and relaxation.

This was the result of a grip so strong, of a hold so controlled that nothing could move.

Proceeding cautiously, Asajj advanced in Kenobi's mind, always surrounded by that unnatural quiet that made her uneasy, until, finally, she found her path blocked by strong barriers.

Barriers beyond which Kenobi had retreated. She probed them, first gently, then with more intent, but the shields never wavered. She had no chance against the training and powers of a Jedi master, unless she found a way to convince him to come out.

Asajj looked around, searching for something that might help in her task.

Now that she had gotten used to her surroundings she noticed the traces of several recently torn bonds around her.

She felt like smiling. Yram had been right, Kenobi had raised barriers between his inner core and the broken bonds to keep away the pain.

She went close to a frayed rope and the image of a tall Mon Calamari female flashed into her mind.

_Bant_—that had been her name.

Asajj approached another torn bond and envisioned a human male with sandy hair and a winning smile. _Garen_.

Then Mace, Ki-Adi, Shaak Ti, Luminara and so many other images and names she had barely time to register.

All these bonds were quite light and superficial, but the pain of having them abruptly broken one after the other must had been unbearable, especially for a man wounded and in physical and emotional distress. No wonder Kenobi had tried to escape it!

Asajj looked around another time and spotted another broken bond, but that was different from all the others.

This one had been deeper and stronger than the others and it was not neatly closed as the others. This one was like an open, bleeding wound.

Asajj probed it gently.

The barriers shook.

Encouraged by Kenobi's reaction, she probed again, a bit more strongly.

Again the shields wavered, but they didn't lower, and the space around her rippled. It felt like an attempt to dislodge her and push her away.

Asajj smirked. _Oh no, Kenobi, you aren't going to throw me out_, she thought, as a little tendril of her Force signature wrapped near the edge of the torn bond, anchoring her.

Then she probed again, with more intent and kept doing it despite the increasing shakes and the ripples.

The barriers came down and Kenobi's essence peaked up from the lowered shields.

//Anakin?// his mental voice asked, sounding confused.

//No. Asajj Ventress.//

//Ventress?// More confusion. //You are dead.//

//No, Kenobi, I'm not. Now come, it's time you leave this place and face reality.//

Kenobi's essence left its hiding place and spread around her, his growing agitation replacing the previous stillness.

Asajj felt him check the various torn bonds, but surprisingly enough he made no more attempts to throw her out of his mind.

//What are you doing here?// he finally asked, his voice sounding stronger.

//I'm here to bring you out from your exile, Kenobi. You are a fighter, a survivor, not a coward.//

//They are all dead… you know how?//

//Yes.//

//Tell me.//

//Not here.//

Asajj moved to retreat into her mind, but the tendril of Force signature she had used to anchor herself refused to loosen. She tugged at it but instead of dislodging it, other tendrils reached out, tying her even more strongly.

Then, to her utter surprise she saw other filaments spring to life from Kenobi's Force signature. They wrapped around her own tendrils, forming a strong, intricate, indissoluble web between them.

_Oh Force_, Asajj thought, shocked. _What have we done_?

A strong sense of belonging invaded her as the bond was completed-- a sense of belonging and warmth she had known only with her family and Ky Narec. And she felt the same sensations pervade Kenobi too. There was a sense of rightness around them and it soothed her, dissolving her panic.

_This bond is meant to be_, Asajj mused with a smile as she prepared to leave Kenobi's mind and resurface to consciousness, fully aware that from now on, her destiny would be tied to his.

Forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped out of the lift and took a few steps on the narrow shore that stretched in front of him.

His walk was hesitant due to the long time spent in bed, and Doctor Yram hadn't been happy about letting him leave his room without supervision. The same for Ventress, but Obi-Wan had needed to be alone.

He desperately needed to meditate on what he had been told about the rise of the Empire and the destruction of the Jedi Order, of the Temple on Coruscant and on what he had felt when he had sensed his friends die.

Obi-Wan knelt on the sand, near the stone that supposedly marked his grave, and closed his eyes, breathing deeply and steadily, opening to the Force.

His first reaction was to recoil, when he sensed how powerful the dark side had become, but he willed himself to delve deeper into the Force currents, until the light side touched and pervaded him.

Obi-Wan let the light fill and soothe him before trying to order his thoughts and feelings.

He relived the horror he had felt when he had been told how the Jedi had been slaughtered across the galaxy by their own clone troopers.

He had then listened to the records of the speech a disfigured Palpatine had held in front of Senate, accusing the Jedi of betrayal and announcing the birth of the Galactic Empire.

Obi-Wan remembered how his breath had caught in his throat when zooming on Palpatine's face he had noticed the man's eyes.

They had been yellow and red-rimmed—the eyes of a Sith.

Suddenly everything had fallen in place: Palpatine was Darth Sidious.

He and Dooku had planned the war to give the Chancellor an excuse to centre all the power in his hands, but also to oblige the Jedi to stretch their numbers across the galaxy. The spreading conflict had caused the death of many knights, but also kept them busy, unable to see what was happening under their very nose. It had also prepared the ground for the clones' betrayal … Obi-Wan squeezed his eyelids as an almost physical pain invested him as he thought back to the day Cody had tried to kill him.

He remembered the pain to his left arm, leg and side caused by his fall against an underwater rock—but it had been nothing compared to the agony he had felt when, one by one, all the bonds he had formed in his life with other Jedi had been abruptly cut.

He had felt like he was suffocating and he had almost drowned when he had instinctively tried to breathe past his pain. He had managed to reach the very shore he was now kneeling on and he had lay there, unable to do anything but sense his friends die.

Then…then the last blow had come.

Obi-Wan breathed harshly, and the noise escaping his throat sounded much like a sob, as tears rose to his eyes.

Anakin. He had felt Anakin die. The training bond they had never come around to severing had been torn away with dark violence.

Obi-Wan remembered he had cried out at the unbearable pain, before darkness had come to envelope him.

He felt his tears slide along his stubble-covered cheeks and fall down to wet his hands and brushed them away with an irritated gesture.

He was a Jedi, perhaps the last one and he should behave like one. However, on this day, on this shore, he couldn't help but mourn for what had been lost.

For Anakin. For Bant and Garen. For the Jedi Order. For the Republic they had loved and sacrificed so much to protect. For himself, left alone to face the horror of an empire ruled by a Sith.

//You aren't alone, Kenobi// a voice echoed in his mind and Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open.

//Ventress?// he asked, probing gently the bond they had formed two days before.

//Who else?// was the sarcastic answer.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, feeling grateful for her words. They had snapped him out the dangerous mood he had fallen into.

It would be far too easy, he knew, to let his desperation engulf him. It would be easy to bask in the dark side that even now was luring him with its false promise of peace and oblivion.

However, Obi-Wan had never been a man who took the easy way out.

He may be the last of the Jedi, but he was still a Jedi and his duty to the Republic would never be completed until Palpatine's death—or his own.

Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan let go of his conscious self, of his pain, of his fears, of his attachment to his dead friends and opened himself totally to the Force, letting the light side wash over his being, giving him strength and purpose and… hey, what was that?

He searched inside himself and saw that there two intact bonds in his mind: one was the one with Ventress, but the other… the other was the one with Yoda!

Obi-Wan smiled for the first time in ages. Master Yoda was still alive. All he had to do now was to find him.

Then he sobered again, as he pondered the other matter needing his attention: the bond he had with Asajj Ventress and her role in his recovery.

Obi-Wan recalled how stunned he had been when he had realized Ventress was in his mind—yet he had not been overtly concerned and had not tried to raise his shields again. True, he had been overwhelmed by the discovery of the broken bonds, but it wasn't the only reason.

He hadn't reacted because somehow, Ventress' presence in his mind had felt _right_—which could be explained by the way their bond had formed.

It was the deepest, strongest bond Obi-Wan had ever formed and he knew that this kind of mental link was formed consciously and on purpose. Theirs, instead, had formed without conscious will, as if it had been ordered by the Force, just as it had happened between himself and Qui-Gon. A rare, spontaneous bond that would now tie him to Ventress and vice versa for the rest of their lives.

Obi-Wan had always felt there was a certain connection between himself and Ventress. He had felt compassion for her because she had looked like a lost soul. Lost in anger yes, but still lost and searching for a way out.

He had known she was still alive even when all the reports had claimed she was dead. That certainness had led him on a wild bantha chase, what a few people, Anakin included, hadn't hesitated to call obsession. And now…now he was bonded to her.

Her presence in his mind was quiet and not unpleasant, but Obi-Wan was curious about Ventress' behaviour toward him.

Tion Medon had informed Obi-Wan she had come on Utapau specifically to visit his grave and that it had been the grief she had shown that had pushed him to reveal her that the Jedi master was still alive.

Obi-Wan had also learned she had been at his side while he recovered, tending to him with Doctor Yram, massaging his muscles to reduce atrophy and turning him in the bed to avoid sore spots.

She had cared for him in a way Obi-Wan could not associate with the ferocious warrior he had met during the war.

//I respect you, Kenobi, as a man of integrity and a fellow warrior. Is it so difficult to understand?// Ventress' mental voice again intruded into his thoughts.

Obi-Wan raised his shields, still unused to the presence of a bond as deep, while he pondered her words.

He had always thought she was an honourable but misled woman, whose loyalty had been given to the wrong persons. She had been devastated when she had realized Dooku had betrayed her on Boz Pity.

Her final words to Obi-Wan had been "Maybe you were right about me"…Right about the fact she could still be saved? That she could renounce the darkness if she let go of the hate she harboured? That, in those final moments before her 'death', she had found the light again?

Obi-Wan probed their bond and to his surprise Ventress lowered her shields, welcoming him.

Cautiously, but full of curiosity, he stretched out his mind and explored hers. Her memories were guarded, but not her feelings.

He sensed no deception in her. There was respect and admiration toward him and compassion for what he had had to endure—and a strong longing to belong somewhere. A need the bond was gradually fulfilling.

Obi-Wan retreated from her mind and for the second time that day, he smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Obi-Wan found Ventress standing near the corral were the dragonmounts were kept, watching as the Utai fed the animals. She turned around when she sensed him approach and he felt her quiet pleasure travel along the bond.

"Would you like to walk with me?" he asked. "We need to talk."

She nodded and stepped to his side as they moved away from the corral toward a calmer area.

"Ventress," Obi-Wan began, "I will soon have to leave here to travel back to Coruscant."

"Coruscant? Are you mad or what?" Ventress stopped walking and glared at him. "Have you forgotten what I told you? The Jedi have been outlawed. There is money over their heads and bounty hunters ready to do everything to cash in. Not to mention plenty of politicians ready to denounce you in order to be in the Emperor's good graces."

Obi-Wan let her finish the tirade, then replied. "I haven't forgotten… Asajj. May I call you so?" She nodded. "But I must go back. Master Yoda is still alive and I feel I may learn about his whereabouts on Coruscant. I need to find him and plan with him the best way to go against the Emperor."

"You want to go against Palpatine?! Now I know for sure you are really mad, Kenobi!"

"Call me Obi-Wan, Asajj. And no, I'm not mad. I'm a Jedi and it's my duty to do everything I can to free the galaxy from the Sith. You know that Palpatine is a Sith, don't you?"

Asajj nodded. "I guessed it. The dark side surrounds him and his right arm."

"Right arm?" Obi-Wan frowned.

"A man called Vader. Palpatine is using him to kill his political adversaries."

"I see," Obi-Wan folded his arms, wondering who this Vader could be. Had Sidious found another apprentice after Dooku's death? "This makes my task even more important," he finally said. "I must do my duty—or die trying."

Asajj sighed. "I know what you mean, Ke- Obi-Wan. You're a lot like me, loyal to the end, and you cannot act differently, even if your actions will most likely lead you to your death."

"You don't have to come with me, Asajj. You have already risked so much and I don't want to put you in danger."

Her eyes blazed in irritation. "Do you really think there is any chance I would let you go alone, Kenobi? You know as well as me our bond is so deep your death would most likely trigger my own. I don't want to die little by little, wasting away as my life force bleeds away from our torn bond. I want to go in a blaze of glory, and what is more glorious than helping you to destroy the Sith that have betrayed both of us?"

"Revenge leads to the dark side," Obi-Wan admonished her sternly.

She all but rolled her eyes. "So you are telling me you don't want to avenge your friends?" she smirked, her voice full of sarcasm.

"I want justice, Asajj, not revenge. It's different." Obi-Wan rubbed his stubbled chin, idly wondering how long it would take for his beard to grow again. "Asajj, I admit I would like very much to have your help in this, but I can't risk you turning again to the dark side because of your desire for revenge. I can help you to control your emotions, but you must make an effort to release your anger into the Force. I'm not strong enough to fight both the dark side in you and Darth Sidious."

Asajj looked at him in silence for a long while, and he sensed her inner turmoil as she battled her demons. Then suddenly, she went down on her knees.

"Teach me, Master," she said fiercely, looking up at him. "Complete my Jedi training. Help me to become the person you need and want me to be."

Obi-Wan swallowed hard and reached out to touch her brow with his hands. "No, Asajj, not the person I want you to be. I will teach you to become the person I know you can be." He smiled as her eyes filled with hope. "Now rise, Asajj, and never kneel again in front of me—unless I am kneeling too. All right?"

She nodded and rose to her feet, her eyes strangely luminous. She was moved to tears, but Obi-Wan thought she would adamantly deny it should he point it out to her. However, he did not plan to do it, for he too had been moved by her trust and desire to learn. In a way, she was just like an initiate that had just been chosen to become a Padawan.

Obi-Wan released his emotions into the Force to regain his balance and it was then he realized there was something he still had to do.

Opening their bond, he flooded it with gratitude. //Thank you for bringing me back, Asajj,// he told her.

//You are welcome, Ke- Obi-Wan. And now, let's stop being so disgustingly emotional and let's plan what to do next.//

"Yes, you are right. There is much to do before we can leave for Coruscant. Let's resume our walk and I will tell you more of what I would like to do…"

**-----**

Asajj watched with rapt attention as Obi-Wan executed a series of katas. The movements were as graceful as a dance, but it was a dance that could turn deadly at any moment.

He had been exercising for the past ten days and the results were in front of her eyes: his legs and arms had recovered their muscle tone and his stamina had increased. Doctor Yram had been surprised by such quick recovery, and Obi-Wan had explained to her that the Force was helping him.

Asajj sensed the Force whirl around Obi-Wan just now, gathered and ready for his command and she understood for the first time how really powerful the Jedi master was.

In the past, when they had been enemies, Asajj had known Obi-Wan was powerful, but she had considered him weak because he never gave in to his anger. Because he was compassionate and preferred to negotiate rather than fighting. Because he was not as flashy and instinctive a fighter as Skywalker or herself were. Only now she realized how much stronger one had to be to keep all that power under control.

"Would you like to join me?" Obi-Wan suddenly asked.

Asajj did not even stop to think. She nodded and stood up from the rock she had been sitting on and walked to his side.

"Did your master teach you katas?"

"Yes, he did—but I haven't practiced in years. I thought they were…" Asajj hesitated, something that happened only with Obi-Wan. "I thought they were a waste of time."

Obi-Wan did not look at her as if she were an idiot but smiled slightly. "I remember thinking the same a long time ago."

"But I guess you changed your mind…"

"Yes. I have always been more attuned with the Unifying Force than with the Living Force, but I discovered that practicing katas helped me to remedy this weakness of mine. They also help me to think, like a sort of moving meditation."

"What were you thinking about now?"

"About our next moves."

Asajj's eyes sparkled with interest. "Care to tell me?"

"Of course. I will tell you everything as we exercise. Do you remember the first kata your master must have taught you?" Obi-Wan executed it and she nodded upon seeing it, remembering the moves.

Asajj repeated the exercise as he watched, feeling clumsy and graceless, but Obi-Wan made no comments.

"And the second?" Again he demonstrated the moves and she imitated him. "Good. Now let's perform them one after the other, in cycles, as we talk."

Asajj nodded and started moving, trying to coordinate her movements with his. Soon she and Obi-Wan fell in step with each other and she felt quite pleased by it, even if she was aware the moves were very simple.

She was called back from her musings when Obi-Wan started talking. "I have meditated a lot and I think we should try to contact Bail Organa, Alderaan Viceroy and Senator. I have worked with him during the war and I know we can trust him. He has always opposed Palpatine and had good relations with the entire Council. Also I discovered, reading the reports, that his ship left Coruscant without warning the night the Jedi Temple was attacked and I sense there is a connection between the two events. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows were Master Yoda is hiding."

"If he is still alive," Asajj grumbled.

"He is, I checked. According to the Senate news reports, he is currently on Alderaan, because his wife isn't feeling well."

"When do we leave?" she asked.

Obi-Wan interrupted his exercise. "Listen, Asajj, you don't have to come with me. From what I read on the holonet we could be directed straight into a trap. You have already done so much for me; I don't want to endanger you. I promise I will close and sever the bond should the situation turn desperate. You won't die because of its severance."

Asajj almost bristled, "You can be quite dense when you want, Kenobi. I've already told you: I will come with you. There is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind. You need help and back up, and I will give them to you." She crossed her arms and stared at him, belligerently.

Obi-Wan looked at her seriously and nodded. "I'm glad you will come with me, Asajj, but I felt bound to offer to let you stay behind."

She shook her head, but her voice was amused when she exclaimed, "You and your blasted honour…" She stared at him, now deadly serious. "Don't ever change, Obi-Wan. The galaxy would be a better place if there were more people like you."

Then, before either of them could think too much about what she had said, she hastened to add, "So, you were telling me when we are going to leave for Alderaan…"


	5. Chapter 5

**II-ALDERAAN**

Obi-Wan stroked his bearded chin in thought as he watched the entry of Alderaan Royal Palace from a secluded corner, scanning the area with both his eyes and the Force.

So far their trip from Utapau had been trouble-free. He and Asajj had landed her shuttle in the Aldera spaceport less than two hours before and had taken a complex route to reach the Palace, just to be sure nobody was following them.

Now they were close to their target but he knew better than to relax his guard just now.

"Are we going to find a way to get inside or are we going to stay here all the morning?" Asajj asked.

"Be patient, Asajj. We will get in when the moment is right."

"Would it not be best to use a secondary entry?"

"No, that could attract attention. We will enter from the main entrance, mixed with the citizens that every day bring their cases in front of the High Court. We just need to wait for the offices opening hours. Here, look, the guards are opening the gates. It seems our wait is ended."

They pulled up their hoods to cover their faces and crossed the square at a slow pace, mingling themselves with the stream of citizens seeking an audience with the Viceroy's aides.

Once inside the Palace, Obi-Wan stretched his senses to locate the private area of the residence. "That way," he whispered to Asajj, indicating the corridor stretching beyond a transparisteel door.

They managed to separate themselves from the other people and slip, unnoticed, into the corridor.

Obi-Wan let his perceptions guide him and finally, after passing a series of representative hallways and ballrooms, he detected a change in the place. The furniture and decorations became less flashy and more personal, the echoes of Bail Organa's presence were stronger and… his eyes widened as he sensed another, familiar Force signature. However, he had no time to ponder it more because the Force shrieked in alert, a second before a guard appeared from beyond a corner and blocked their path.

"Stop there!" the man exclaimed, pointing a blaster against them.

Obi-Wan felt Asajj tense at his side, as her hand moved toward the vibroblade concealed by her robe.

//There is no need for it,// he told her along the bond and she stopped.

Obi-Wan raised his hand and waved it in front of the guard's face. "We mean no harm," he said, giving a strong Force compulsion.

"You mean no harm," the guard repeated, his eyes dull and his voice toneless.

"We wish to see Viceroy Organa. You will take us to him," Obi-Wan gestured again with his hand.

"You wish to see Viceroy Organa. I will take you to him."

"Good. Now show us the way."

The guard turned on his heels and led them toward another long corridor.

"See Asajj? Violence is often unnecessary," Obi-Wan commented as they followed the man.

She nodded, but her grip on the vibroblade hilt did not relax.

Obi-Wan sighed inwardly. It would take time before Asajj learned to let go of her old ways. Her difficult past had shaped her and at the moment he had not the time to teach her. He could only show her how he dealt with problems and hope she would learn from his example.

In truth she had already made great progress. She was no longer full of anger and hate as in the past. She was calmer, more reflexive and her presence in his mind, from how strange it had been, had become pleasant and comforting. He now felt he could trust her.

The guard stopped in front of a massive wood-like door and said, "The Viceroy is inside, but I don't have the opening code."

"Good. We will deal with this. Now return to your duty and forget you have seen us," Obi-Wan instructed the man.

The guard walked away and as soon as he and Asajj were alone, Obi-Wan used the Force to open the door.

The wood-like hatches slid open, revealing a large, luminous room, filled with precious furniture. There were bookshelves filled with ancient tomes, plush divans, carpets, sculptures. However what really caught Obi-Wan's attention was the large table on his right and the people sitting around it.

Bail Organa, Chandria senator Mon Mothma and Master Yoda.

They were all looking stunned at him and Asajj and there was no mistaking the joy Obi-Wan could see in the older Jedi's eyes.

"Master Kenobi!" Bail Organa exclaimed, rising to his feet and crossing the room in a few long strides. "Thank the Force you survived the ambush!"

Obi-Wan nodded and reached out to take the hand the dark haired man offered him.

"It's such a pleasure to see you again, Master Kenobi."

"It's the same for me, Senator Organa."

The two men moved toward the table, Asajj walking a couple of steps behind them.

Obi-Wan saw Mon Mothma look at him with suspicious eyes. "Are we really sure he is General Kenobi? Couldn't he be a clone at Palpatine's service?

Yoda turned his head and looked at the concerned politician. "Know Obi-Wan well I do. Clone he is not. However, unsure of his companion's identity, I am."

Obi-Wan turned to face Asajj. "Master Yoda, Senators, let me introduce to you Asajj Ventress."

"Commander Ventress? Was not she Dooku's ally?" Mon Mothma asked.

"Yes, I was. Until he betrayed me. Until Obi-Wan showed me the error of my ways."

Yoda's ears perked up at her words and he nodded. The senators apparently took that as a gesture of approval and relaxed.

Bail Organa smiled and gestured to the table. "Make yourself comfortable."

Obi-Wan and Asajj accepted the invitation and sat down near Yoda.

"Do you want something to eat?" Organa asked.

"No, thank you, Senator." Obi-Wan answered sensing from the bond that Asajj was not hungry. "What we need are answers. I have been in a coma for almost forty days and I don't know what happened aside from what I found on the holonet—which I_ know_ is not the complete truth. "

Obi-Wan frowned as Organa and Yoda exchanged a strange glance while Mon Mothma seemed to look at him with pity.

"Master Kenobi, I think you and Master Yoda should talk in private," Senator Organa finally replied. "In the meantime I will show to Commander Ventress the rooms that will be yours during your sojourn. If it's agreeable for her," he added when Asajj looked at him with narrowed eyes.

Obi-Wan could sense Asajj did not want to leave him, but he knew he and Yoda needed to talk in private. He could perceive something off in the Force, an unknown truth the older Jedi was reluctant to reveal to him. But what could be more terrible than what he already knew?

Yoda led Obi-Wan to a small greenhouse. The place was full of blooming flowers and bushes, and the Living Force was quite strong there. The two Jedi sat down on a grassy spot, one in front of the other.

Obi-Wan studied Yoda closely and noticed the pain and the weariness in his wise eyes. Eyes that had seen far too much. The younger Jedi swallowed hard because Yoda now looked terribly old and fragile.

"Master Kenobi, dark times are these. Good to see you it is. Hopeful you had escaped, I was. Felt not your death, I did. But concerned by your lack of news, I was. Dangerous place the galaxy has become," Yoda began.

"I too knew you were alive, Master. I discovered our bond was still intact when I meditated after my awakening."

"Tell me more about your coma, Obi-Wan. What caused it?"

Obi-Wan related what he remembered to Yoda and when his report ended, the diminutive Jedi nodded. "Understand the pain you felt, I can. Terrible it was, to feel the Jedi die, and as sensitive as you, I am not."

Obi-Wan looked in the other's eyes and murmured, "What happened, Master?"

"Palpatine, Darth Sidious turned out to be. Defeated he did Master Windu and the other Jedi when to arrest him they tried. A secret command in the clones' programming had been inserted. An order Sidious gave them, and against their Jedi commanders they rebelled. A slaughter it was." Yoda paused a moment and his eyes took a far away look. "On Kashyyyk I was when my clones revolted. With the help of the Wookiees, barely escape, I did. In deep space Senator Organa found me."

"How many other Jedi managed to survive?"

"Heard from no one, have we."

Obi-Wan swallowed hard. "What about the Temple?"

"Attacked it was, by an entire legion of clones. Senator Organa saw it. Everybody inside killed was."

"Everybody? Surely they didn't kill the younglings…"

Yoda bowed his head. "The younglings too. Saw their bodies I did, when the Temple I visited. Went there to dismantle a coded signal, I did. Requested all Jedi to return to the Temple, it did. A trap it was."

Obi-Wan felt a lump constrict his throat. The children. They had not even spared the children.

He took a harsh breath and released it slowly, letting go of his anguish along with the air. He strengthened himself for the next question he had to pose.

"How- how did Anakin die? Did you see his body?" he murmured.

Yoda stared deeply at Obi-Wan's eyes and answered, "He didn't die."

Obi-Wan's heart started beating faster. "Is he still alive? Are you sure? Our bond has been broken…"

"Sure, I am, Master Kenobi."

"Do you know where he is?" If Anakin was still alive, then there were still chances the Chosen One's prophecy could become reality. Yoda and he would find the young knight and face Sidious together…

"At the Emperor's right side, he is," was Yoda's crushing answer. "A new apprentice Palpatine has. Darth Vader his name is."

"It's impossible…I can't believe it…" Obi-Wan shook his head vehemently. Anakin a Sith? No, Yoda must have been mistaken, his friend would never turn…

"Watched the security records of the temple, I did. Saw him kill younglings, I did."

Obi-Wan's shoulders slumped as he closed his eyes. He did not want to believe Yoda. He could not believe it—but he knew it was the truth. The onslaught of darkness he had felt before the pain of the broken bond had caused him to lose his senses.

The bond had not been neatly cut by death. It had been viciously ripped, as if someone had taken pleasure from causing pain to Obi-Wan.

Blind with grief, Obi-Wan muttered, "I should have let them shoot me..."

"What?"

"No. That was already too late—it was already too late at Geonosis. The Zabrak, on Naboo—I should have died there... before I ever brought him here—"

"Stop this, you will!" Yoda gave him a stick-jab in the ribs sharp enough to straighten him up. "Make a Jedi fall, one cannot; beyond even Lord Sidious, this is. Chose this, Skywalker did. Push him there, we did not."

Obi-Wan knew Yoda's words were right, but he could not accept the absolution they implied. The older master had had almost two months to meditate on what had happened, but it was too soon for him. There was a bleeding wound in his soul and it would take time for it to heal—if it ever did.

Obi-Wan sensed a movement and raising his eyes he saw that Yoda had stood up. He moved to do the same, but the older master stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay here, Obi-Wan. Strong the Living Force here is. Heal you, let it. Your bonded send to you I will.

"You know of the bond?" Obi-Wan asked, managing to sound surprised, something he thought impossible, given how numb he felt.

"Very strong it is. Impossible to miss, it is."

"Are you disturbed by it, Master?"

"No." Yoda's ears perked up. "Intrigued I am. Hopeful I am, for will of the Force I sense it was." The old master turned around and hobbled away, leaving Obi-Wan alone.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: sorry for the delay, but this morning I've been quite busy with work, not to mention quite shocked by what happened in the season finale of my favourite TV series, "NCIS". If you watch the show, I'm referring to the conversation between Vance and Gibbs about Ziva and Ari's death. Gibbs/Ziva are my OTP in that fandom and if that revelation is true, the pillar on which their relationship was/is based would crumble, because everything so far would be a big, massive lie.

OK, sorry for the digression! I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter!

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Asajj cautiously walked along the gravel covered path, not knowing what sight would welcome her at the end of the way. She had sensed a great distress and anguish coming from Obi-Wan. He had raised his shields, but the pain had leaked along the bond, making her wish to be at his side and comfort him.

Asajj had always been an independent, strong-willed woman, yet she had always found joy in protecting and comforting the few people that had mattered in her life. She was loyal almost to the point of fault and with an inner need to belong somewhere…with someone.

She had never spared much time in meditation after Ky Narec's death, busy as she had been fighting for her people's freedom or doing Dooku's bidding. However, that had changed after her last close brush with death.

Alone in her hiding place, away from a war that was not hers, Asajj had had the time to think and find answers to questions she had wanted to ask.

She had not always liked those answers, but she had not denied them.

Among those questions there was one that had tormented her for a long time: why she had never been able to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi?

Asajj had killed many Jedi without much problem, no matter how skilled they had been. Yet, she had not been able to kill Obi-Wan, not even when he had been her prisoner on Rattatak.

Dooku had never ordered her to imprison and torture the Jedi. He had told her to kill Kenobi and it would have been easy to plunge her blade into his flesh while he was chained and cut off from the Force by the Sith mask she had put on him.

The answer to her question had been simple. No matter how she had claimed to hate Obi-Wan, in reality she had admired him.

She had wanted to be like him and, in the end, she had wanted to be _with _him, at his side. To form a partnership like the one he had with Skywalker. It had been that too-late-confessed desire that had pushed her to visit his tomb on Utapau, to be near him as a friend and not as an enemy at least once.

However the Force had willed differently and now Asajj had it. The place at Obi-Wan's side she had wanted so badly.

She now had the right and the duty to protect him, in battle, but also in moments like this one.

The bond meant she would never be alone again—but it worked both ways.

That was why Asajj had left the room assigned her by Senator Organa and had followed Obi-Wan's signature to the greenhouse.

And now that she was there, she hesitated, wondering how opportune it would be to make her presence known.

"Come closer, young one. Need you, your bonded does," a voice said from beyond a bush, a moment before the leaves parted to reveal Master Yoda.

"He needs me?"

"Yes. Go to him. Good for him your presence will be."

Yoda walked away, leaving her alone. Asajj stared at the small master's retreating back for a moment, then decided to follow his advice.

She let her instinct guide her to Obi-Wan. She found him sitting on a grassy patch, his head bowed, his shoulder slumped, as if burdened by a weight he could not bear. His pain rolled over her as he released it into the Force, but it seemed that the more he let go of his anguish, the more he was assaulted by a new one.

Silently Asajj sat in front of Obi-Wan, in the place where Yoda must have been before, at least judging by how strong the echo of his presence was. She folded her hands and opened their bond, letting Obi-Wan know she was there to listen, should he want to talk.

Silence reigned over them for a long while, until Obi-Wan whispered, "What do you know of Vader?"

"Not much. His face has never appeared on the holonet, but I read he is quite tall. He is said to be Palpatine's right hand—especially when the Emperor has to teach some lesson to rebellious senators."

Obi-Wan raised his eyes to look at her and she noticed how blue they were in that moment. "His complete name is Darth Vader. He is a Sith, Sidious' new apprentice."

She did not comment, sensing there was more coming.

"Master Yoda told me Vader led the attack to the Jedi Temple. Told me he had seen Vader kill children. Told me Vader is Anakin…"

Asajj gasped. She remembered Skywalker quite well. How could she forget the man that almost killed her twice? She remembered how strong the Jedi had been in the Force, but also how impulsive, emotional and prone to anger he had been. She also recalled having wondered how it was possible he could have been Obi-Wan's apprentice, since the two of them were as different as the day from the night.

"I didn't teach him well, Asajj," Obi-Wan murmured, his guilt rolling off him in waves. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have been so arrogant to think a freshly appointed knight could teach such a powerful child. I should have entrusted him to the care of a more expert master. I was not good enough."

Asajj narrowed her eyes. She did not like this self-bashing attitude, and she decided to snap him out of it at once.

"Sithspawn Kenobi! You are a great teacher! I have observed how you and Skywalker related. You gave him the right example—it's not your fault if he didn't listen. Do you remember Muunilinst?" Obi-Wan nodded, albeit unwillingly. "I dared Skywalker to chase me and he did, ignoring your orders and forgetting his duty."

"I know. Another example of how badly I did with him." Obi-Wan interjected.

"Drop this destructive attitude, Kenobi, and let me finish! What you don't know is that I felt Skywalker's feelings as he chased me. He was aware he was doing something wrong. He knew that, by abandoning his position he left you to face Durge alone, but he decided it was more important to demonstrate that no pilot could outclass him." Asajj shook her head. "Don't you see, Obi-Wan? You taught what was right and what was wrong, and he chose the wrong."

"You cannot be so sure. You barely know me. You aren't aware of how badly I failed Anakin and Qui-Gon."

"Qui-Gon?" Asajj frowned.

"My master. He died on Naboo years ago. He entrusted Anakin to my care, told me to train the boy-- and I failed him. I should have died in Qui-Gon's place, so none of this would have happened…" Obi-Wan's voice was full of self-loathing.

Suddenly there was a sudden shift in the Force, and a new presence brushed against Asajj's shields.

"_You cannot know it for sure, Padawan!"_ a deep, incorporeal voice echoed in the room, seeming to come from everywhere.

Asajj whipped her head around, searching for the speaker, but there was no one.

In front of her Obi-Wan was now sitting straight, a look of pure wonder on his face.

"Master?" he called tentatively.

"_Yes, Obi-Wan,"_ the voice answered.

"Where… how…why…" Obi-Wan muttered, his eyes darting around the greenhouse before locking with Asajj's.

"_The explanations are long, Obi-Wan, and you are not in the mental frame to hear them now. Suffice__ it to say, Padawan, I have discovered a way to retain my consciousness even after dying and joining the Force."_

"I-I… can you teach it to me?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes shining like those of a child.

"_Always so eager to learn, Padawan-mine. Yes, I will teach you and your bonded, but only when the right time arrives. At the moment, Obi-Wan, you are not in any condition to learn anything. Too much is weighting on your mind and heart."_

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan answered, bowing his head. Asajj felt another wave of self deprecation wash over her and it made her feel angry at this mysterious Qui-Gon. The last thing Obi-Wan needed was to be reproached by his dead master.

"Don't you have anything better to do than torment him like this? His sense of guilt is already strong enough!" she angrily exclaimed at the empty air.

A brief laughter echoed in the greenhouse, then the voice talked again. _"I'm not here to torment him, Asajj Ventress. I'm here to help him. Obi-Wan, I'm here to offer you the help of a master to his padawan… the help you offered time and again to Anakin, and that he never accepted. The help he never asked you for because he feared you would learn his deception."_

Obi-Wan's head snapped up. "What deception?"

"_Anakin married Padmé Amidala just after Geonosis. He was afraid you would discover it."_

"But I knew it!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, as Asajj watched and listened with interest, hoping this Qui-Gon would be able to help her bonded.

"_You knew?"_

"I didn't know he was married, but I was aware their feelings had progressed beyond simple friendship."

"_Yet you never approached Anakin about it."_

"I didn't want to force the issue. I hoped he would confide in me. Or that he would see the error of his ways and let go of Padmé with his own will."

"_You did well, Padawan."_ Asajj sensed the approval in Qui-Gon's voice. "_This is what a good teacher does. He teaches his pupils what is right and what is wrong. He gives his pupil the means to make the right choice—but he doesn't choose on his pupil's behalf."_

Asajj almost smiled because Qui-Gon had basically repeated what she had said to Obi-Wan, and because her bonded was really listening to his late master's words. The approval in the dead man's voice was acting like a healing balm on his wounded soul.

"_I have watched you along the years, Obi-Wan. You did well with Anakin, trust me."_

Obi-Wan nodded and Asajj saw the conviction behind that simple gesture. He believed in his master's words and the sense of guilt he had first felt was slowly disappearing.

"Master, do you know why Anakin turned?" Obi-Wan asked after a few moments of silence.

"_Yes. He did out of his obsessive fea__r of losing Padmé. Palpatine – Sidious – preyed on those fears. He told Anakin only the dark side could save Padmé, and the boy chose to believe it."_

"I understand." Obi-Wan frowned and rubbed his beard, deep in thought. Then he spoke again, "Master… Qui-Gon… do you believe there is any chance of bringing him back to the light?"

"_Yes, Obi-Wan. I believe there is—and you will discover it soon. Now I must go, Padawan. It was a joy to talk with you again."_

"Likewise, Master. Will you return?"

"_I will. When the time is right."_

Asajj felt another shift in the Force and then the presence was gone. In front of her, Obi-Wan changed position, and knelt on the grass.

"I need to meditate," he explained. "Will you stay here with me?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan." _I will always stay near you_, Asajj completed the line in her mind before closing her eyes and relaxing her shields.


	7. Chapter 7

Obi-Wan felt better when he resurfaced from his shared meditation with Asajj. He was calm, centred, the desperation and guilt that had threatened his balance released into the Force.

He opened his eyes and watched as his companion did the same. They shared a slight smile and Asajj asked, "How are you?"

"Much better—and I have to thank you for your help. You kept me grounded when my emotions became too turbulent."

Asajj shook her shoulders, her eyes flashing. "You are welcome. However, I must admit I find it amusing that a notoriously short tempered and emotional woman like me managed to keep a Jedi master in check."

"I'm still human Asajj, and the news I got today was the worst I've ever received."

"I know, and I wasn't mocking you or your feelings. I was just thinking this was quite a role reversal."

"Qui-Gon used to say we never stop learning. I agree with him."

"Speaking of Qui-Gon, I gathered that it was the first time you heard your master speak to you from the other life."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes…it was quite a shock to hear his voice again after thirteen years."

"But this shock did you well," Asajj commented. "He made you realize you cannot take all the blame for your apprentice's fall."

Obi-Wan swallowed, the topic still very hard for him to discuss. "I still think I have failed Anakin in some way. It will take me time and a lot of meditation to come to terms with what happened and my role in it. However, both you and Qui-Gon made me realize Anakin made a choice – a wrong one – and that he is responsible for its consequences. I can blame myself for allowing him to spend time with Palpatine, but thinking better, how could I have prevented it? I could have ordered Anakin not to see the Chancellor, but what reasons could I have given to both my Padawan and Palpatine for my decision? By the time we began to sense there was something off with the Chancellor, Anakin was already a knight and free to visit whom he wanted." Obi-Wan explained, talking to Asajj but also putting in words the truths he had found in his meditation. "The same goes for Senator Amidala. I was aware of the closeness between she and Anakin and I was hurt when I realized none of them considered me enough of a friend to tell me about their feelings. Padmé was pregnant the last time I saw her, and I sensed her children were Anakin's, but even then they kept silent. They didn't trust me. The boy I raised since childhood and the woman I have called friend for years didn't trust me. Anakin preferred to confess his troubles to Palpatine. Why did he not trust me? Where I did wrong with him?"

Asajj sent a wave of mild exasperation along the bond. "Don't start it again. That's the past. Let it go. Live the moment."

Obi-Wan smiled at her comment, and this time it reached his eyes. "You sound like Qui-Gon! I lost count of all the times he told me to concentrate on the here and now."

Asajj smiled shyly back, "It's wise advice, I think."

"Yes, it is. I will now concentrate on the present—and my next move."

"That would be?"

"I need to talk with Padmé—and I must confront Anakin."

"You really want to try turning him back from the dark side, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. Qui-Gon said there is still hope for him, and I feel the same. You turned back to the light, Asajj…why should not Anakin do the same?"

Asajj looked at him seriously. "I wanted to return to the light, Obi-Wan. Darkness betrayed me and I wanted to be free of its prison. Will Skywalker want to do the same? Once again this will be his choice."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly, rubbing his chin, amazed by how perfectly Asajj had nailed the situation. "You are right. That's why I need to talk with Padmé. I cannot believe such a faithful servant of the Republic can approve the Empire her husband helped Palpatine to create. I sense she doesn't know what her husband has done, but she needs to be informed. She won't accept living with a man who killed children. Maybe, if we manage to convince her to side with us, she would help us to convince Anakin to turn back to the light."

"It's a good plan, worth trying," Asajj commented.

"Happy to hear you agree. Now come, let's go tell the others."

-----

When Obi-Wan and Asajj joined the others, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and Yoda were still sitting around the table, which was covered by several blue-prints.

Yoda raised his head when Obi-Wan stepped into the room and his ears perked up as he sensed the younger Jedi serene and resolute presence.

"Relieved to see you well I am, Master Kenobi," Yoda greeted him with.

Obi-Wan bowed to the senators, then gave his whole attention to Master Yoda.

"Master Qui-Gon spoke to me and Asajj from the netherworld of the Force," he began. "Were you aware he had returned?"

"Spoken with him, I have in these past years. The only one able to commune with him, I was. Your distress called him to you, must have. However, surprised I am Commander Ventress heard him too. Very intriguing your bond is."

Obi-Wan and Asajj exchanged a glance, but did not comment on Yoda's words. To both of them the bond simply was. It had been established only a few days before and yet it was like it had always been part of Obi-Wan. As if it had filled a void he never knew he had. However that was not the moment to dwell on it. A more important matter needed to be discussed.

"Master Yoda, Qui-Gon told me there is still hope of saving An-Vader," Obi-Wan corrected quickly, unaware of how much the senators knew.

Yoda just shook his head and slid down the chair and hobbled toward a corner of the room. Obi-Wan followed him and knelt at his side.

"Harbour hope you must not, Obi-Wan. Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is . . . Consumed by Darth Vader. Turn back, he will not."

"Asajj did, Master Yoda."

"A Sith she never was."

Obi-Wan perceived a sense of defeat, of strange finality in the older master and realized there was something he had not been told.

"What happened, Master?"

"Confronted Sidious, I did. Failed to kill him, I did. In exile I will go, once my task here complete is."

Obi-Wan was appalled by the lack of hope in Yoda's voice.

"Master, we can face Sidious again, together. We will have more chances…and if we manage to convince Anakin to join us…"

Yoda shook his head and looked at the younger Jedi with sorrowful eyes. "Only pain and death you will find, if on this path you proceed. Once our task complete is, until the time is right, disappear we will."

It was the second time Yoda mentioned a 'task' and this time Obi-Wan asked, "What task, Master?"

"Free Senator Amidala we must. Prevent Sidious from putting his hands on her children, we must. Strong the Force runs, in the Skywalker line. Hope, we will have if the children trained as Jedi will be."

"Why is Sidious keeping Padmé prisoner?" Obi-Wan was puzzled. How could Anakin tolerate such a thing?

"Disapprove what her husband did, she does. Spoken against the Empire, she did."

"I can't believe Anakin let Sidious imprison his pregnant wife after everything he did for her!"

"Right you are. Vader doesn't know. Convinced he was Sidious' opponents kidnapped her. Searching for her Vader is. Bringing death to his master's enemies he is."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and released his anguish into the Force. This was getting worse by the moment—or perhaps not. He was sure Anakin would not like to know his new master was behind Padmé's disappearance.

"Do we know where Sidious is holding Padmé?" Obi-Wan asked aloud.

"We believe he is keeping her prisoner inside the Jedi Temple," Bail Organa answered from the other side of the room.

"What?" Obi-Wan commented, walking back to the table Asajj, at his side.

Organa invited them to sit at the table as he explained, "Since we learned of Padmé's disappearance, we – Mon Mothma and I—alerted our net of spies to discover what had happened to her. Master Yoda was sure Padmé was still alive, so we told our agents to keep a close eye on Palpatine's movements. The Emperor," Organa spat the word, making it sound like an insult, "doesn't leave his residence often, and the only time he did was to visit the Jedi Temple. He did it in the middle of the night, and it was recorded by a probe droid."

"Naturally," Mon Mothma picked up the story from where Organa had left it, "we started wondering what Palpatine was doing in the Temple. So we put it under surveillance. For many days we saw only clones coming and going…bringing out corpses." The Senator threw a sympathetic look to Obi-Wan. "However, three days ago we recorded this…" She switched on a screen and a shot of the Jedi Temple entry appeared.

Obi-Wan's body constricted at the sight of the Temple's blackened walls and destroyed pillars, but he forced himself to concentrate on the spot Mon Mothma was indicating with her finger.

"Do you see this clone, Master Kenobi? He is entering the Temple and carrying something _in_, not _out_ as all the other are doing."

Obi-Wan nodded, his interest piqued. The Senator touched the screen and obtained a zoom of the box in the clone's hands.

"He is carrying a box of powdered milk for newborns!" Obi-Wan exclaimed.

"Exactly. So why should clones bring baby food into the Jedi Temple, unless there is some child hidden inside the building?" commented Bail Organa.

"Padmé must have given birth," Obi-Wan mused, stroking his beard. "Her children are Force sensitive and what better place to hide them than in the Jedi Temple? We must take them and their mother away as soon as possible, before Sidious moves them."

Obi-Wan pulled close a blueprint and studied the Temple layout with intent eyes. The Force whirled around him when his gaze paused on the map of the basement floor.

"Here," he said tapping his fingers on the map. "I think Padmé and the children are kept in the underground levels—in the holding cells. They were built during the last Jedi-Sith war and they are Force shielded. It's the best place to hide Anakin's children—especially from their father.

"Uhm…" Yoda commented from his seat across the table. "Right you may be, Obi-Wan. What suggest you we do?"

"We must act quickly. Sidious is interested only in the children. Now that they are born he could decide to kill Padmé and make sure his opponents get the blame. That would make Anakin sink even more into the dark side. Our time could be even shorter because it looks like Padmé has no milk to nurse her children, they have no need of her– at least in Palpatine's eyes."

"Great traumas can influence the milk production in new mothers," Asajj commented. "It happened to my mother with my younger brother."

Obi-Wan felt her pain along the bond as the memory of her brother being killed when he was still a toddler crossed her mind. Without thinking, he reached out with his hand to squeeze hers, just as he sent soothing waves along the bond. Asajj relaxed and squeezed his hand back, before slowly letting go of it.

Obi-Wan sensed embarrassment coming from her, but Bail Organa started talking before he could wonder about it. "We were preparing a rescue squad, Master Kenobi. I planned to command it myself, but now that you are here I think you are the best qualified for this mission."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I will do it. You and Senator Mothma must not expose yourselves anymore than you have, which means that no Alderaanian soldiers can come. The same goes for you, Master Yoda. Asajj and I will rescue Padmé and the twins."

He turned to look at his bonded and she nodded, her eyes glinting with satisfaction at the certainness he had had about her presence at his side.

The two senators nodded in approval and Bail Organa said, "Tell me what you plan to do, what you need and how I can help you to get it…."


	8. Chapter 8

**III- Coruscant**

Asajj had never been to Coruscant before and she could not say she liked it. The giant Galactic City – now renamed Imperial City—covered the entire planet and that concrete and durasteel suffocated the Living Force, making it difficult for her to sense it.

She briefly wondered why the Jedi had chosen to establish the base there when there were others, in her opinion more suitable planets. Maybe they had set on Coruscant to keep an eye on the Senate and the centre of the political power. Not that it had worked out well given what had happened with Palpatine.

Asajj was still puzzled by the fact the Jedi had never sensed Darth Sidious so close to them.

"The dark side clouded our senses," Obi-Wan answered quietly, having picked up her question along the bond. "Sidious and Dooku organized the whole war to make sure darkness spread and to keep us busy and away from Coruscant. They obliged us to stretch our ranks and become something – soldiers – the Jedi were never meant to be. It was a brilliant plan, one the Sith must have been working at for centuries…their ultimate revenge against the Jedi."

Asajj nodded and put her arm on Obi-Wan's shoulder, squeezing it in support. She was surprised by how easy touching came to her with him. She had never been a tactile person—and she was ready to bet the Jedi wasn't either. Yet they often exchanged small gestures like this one.

A loud noise made them flatten against a wall and brought Asajj's concentration back to their present situation.

They were hiding behind a pillar near the Jedi Temple's north side. According to the blueprints there was an air duct opening there, large enough to allow them to use it to slide inside. They had just to wait for the sentries patrolling the area to walk by their position and turn the corner. That would give them the precious time Obi-Wan needed to open a breach in the panel with his lightsabre.

The two clone troopers marched in front of them, lighting the area with powerful glow-rods, but the half-crumbled pillar they were hiding behind covered Obi-Wan and Asajj.

Once the clones moved over, Obi-Wan turned toward the wall and ignited his lightsabre, while Asajj kept a lookout in the other direction, her right hand resting on the lightsabre hilt Master Yoda had given her before they left Aldeeran. She did not know to whom it had belonged, but its weight against her hip was oddly comforting.

There was a soft thud as the circular portion of metal Obi-Wan had cut was lowered to the ground with the help of the Force.

"Are you ready?" the Jedi whispered.

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

They bent down and entered the air duct. It was tall and large enough to allow them to proceed on their hands and knees.

After a few minutes Obi-Wan stopped and took out his datapad, switching it on. "According to the blueprint measurements, we should now be inside one of the store rooms at the ground floor. It's the moment to leave this duct."

Asajj nodded and watched the Jedi open another breach with his lightsabre. They slid out the air duct and rose to their feet in a small room full of supplies. The place was pitch black but even so Asajj could see the look Obi-Wan gave her. She nodded and moved to cover his back as he opened the door using the Force.

The lights were turned off in the high ceilinged rooms, but the light pouring inside from the floor-to-ceiling windows allowed them to see where they were going without the need of their glow rods.

Asajj shivered as she followed Obi-Wan along the deserted corridors and hallways, her steps echoing softly on the marble pavement. She felt irrationally small compared to the tall columns they were walking by and the solemn statues staring down at them from their pedestals.

Other, taller statues were scattered here and there, so similar to the one she had commissioned to honour Ky Narec's memory that she felt her heart constrict in pain. Her beloved master had been trained here, had lived here—and she had fought along with the people that destroyed his home. Was that why the stone warriors seemed to look at her with reproachful eyes?

A strangled moan and a thud caused Asajj to snap out her reverie. She gasped when she saw Obi-Wan had gone down on his knees.

Asajj was at once at her bonded's side, kneeling with him and putting an arm around his shoulders. "What's wrong, Obi-Wan?" she asked urgently, but got no answer. She opened their bond, trying to understand what was going on and her mind was flooded with images…

…_the Temple, filled with sunlight and the Force, the polished statues looking down with benign eyes at a group of children sitting cross-legged in a large circle, some pebbles in front of each of them. Master Yoda is walking in the centre of the circle, his patient voice giving to the younglings their first lesson on levitating things. Among the children, listening intently, there is a four years old boy with bright blue-grey eyes and a toothy smile…_

…_four teenagers, two human males, a Mon Calamari female and another alien boy walking side by side along one of the corridors. One of them, a gangly boy with a mop of reddish hair stops and stares at a tall Jedi who is walking in the opposite direction. There is longing in the boy's eyes as they follow the retreating Jedi. _

_The Mon Calamari steps closer to her friend and puts an arm on his shoulders. "Don't worry so much, Obi. You will be chosen by a master, trust me."…_

…_A young man, wearing only his trousers, his hair cropped short and spiky, a long plait spattered against his sweaty chest as he takes big gulps of air, exhaustion pouring out of him. A tall man with leonine features, tugging gently at the braid. "Well done, Padawan, you have mastered the tenth kata. I am proud of you, Obi-Wan." A smile appearing on the sweaty young face, chasing away the tiredness…_

…_The same young man, walking slowly along the Temple's deserted corridors in the middle of the night, his steps heavy as his heart. He stops near one of the windows and the moonlight makes the tears on his face shine like silver. "I miss you, Master…I need your help with the boy,"…_

…_A man in his early thirties, his reddish hair longer and wavy, his youthful face now covered by a well trimmed beard, sparring in a large arena with a tall, gangly teenager, their blue lightsabres whirling and clashing, a smile on their faces…_

…_A man, now in his late thirties, standing in the middle of a circular room with tall windows overlooking Coruscant. There are twelve chairs along the walls and other Jedi are sitting there—but one is empty. "Join us in the Council, Master Kenobi," a tall, dark skinned man says, indicating the empty chair as Obi-Wan's face is filled with surprise and humble acceptance..._

Asajj blinked her eyes, fighting to breath as the pain pouring out of Obi-Wan washed over her.

The Jedi was trying to stand, his collapse having lasted less than a minute…a handful of seconds spent reliving a life spent inside those ancient walls, now scorched and blackened by blaster fire.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Forgive me," he murmured.

"There is no need to apologize. I understand. I saw my entire family die when I was a child and I too collapsed in tears when I visited my home years later. Their Force signatures were deeply imbued in the place along with the memories."

Obi-Wan nodded and took a deep breath, indicating a stain on the pavement. A blood stain.

"My friend Bant was killed here," he said so softly she barely heard him.

Asajj did not know how to respond. "I'm sorry" seemed so empty and meaningless in that moment.

"Let's go," Obi-Wan said after a moment of silence. "The stairs leading to the underground levels are over there."

They walked quickly along the corridor until the Force shrieked in alert. A clone trooper suddenly turned the corner, but before he had the time to raise the alarm, Obi-Wan dispatched him with a quick swirl of his lightsabre. There was a snap, a hiss and a thud, then the Temple was silent again.

Asajj and Obi-Wan pulled the clone by the arms and dragged him away, hiding him behind a statue, before resuming their advance toward the holding cells.

Two more guards met a swift demise at the Jedi master's blade, and finally Obi-Wan and Asajj found themselves in front of a locked door.

"Let's see if the old overdrive code still works," Obi-Wan murmured, typing on the keypad on the wall.

It did. The door slid open, showing a large room. The walls between two or three cells had been thrown down to create a more spacious chamber.

Asajj could feel the presence of three beings, and two of them were extremely strong in the Force. The place was windowless and enveloped by darkness, so they had to use their glow-rods to see their way around and avoid tripping over something.

Obi-Wan walked near a bed set by a wall and looked at its sleeping occupant. "It's Padmé," he whispered, before touching the woman's brow and giving her a strong sleep compulsion.

Asajj nodded and did the same with the tiny children she found asleep in two cribs near their mother's bed. Then she wrapped them in their blankets to keep them warm, and scooped them into her arms, pressing them against her chest.

Obi-Wan swept the senator over his shoulder and turned to Asajj, "Ready to go?"

"Yes," she whispered.

They retraced the way they had covered to reach the underground levels, but once they arrived to the ground floor they did not return toward the air ducts. Instead they took the stairs to the first floor and stepped into a large terrace.

They flattened against a wall, blending into the shadows, and Obi-Wan pulled out his commlink.

"Senator Organa?"

"_Master Kenobi?"_

"We have them, Senator. We are waiting for pick up at the rendezvous point A."

"_I will arrive at once."_

A speeder appeared at the horizon and cautiously approached the Temple, coming to land on the terrace. Obi-Wan and Asajj left their hiding place and boarded the small speeder with their precious cargo, as Bail Organa watched anxiously.

A few moments later the speeder left the Jedi Temple behind and inserted itself in Coruscant heavy traffic directed to the spaceport where the _Tantive IV_, Bail Organa flagship was waiting, ready to depart.


	9. Chapter 9

The _Tantive IV_ was already in hyperspace, directed toward Polis Massa asteroid, when Padmé Amidala started to wake up.

Obi-Wan was meditating by her side when he sensed her stir and thought it would not take long for her to regain consciousness. In the meantime, he decided he would stay in the Force's embrace a little longer. The trip to the Jedi Temple had left him more shocked than he liked to be.

Intellectually, Obi-Wan had known what had happened in the Temple and steeled himself to face the sight that would welcome him. He had meditated and strengthened his shields during their journey from Alderaan to Coruscant.

Unfortunately it had not been enough. He had not been prepared for the pain and sense of betrayal he had sensed while crossing the ancient halls where he had spent most of his life.

Knowing with the mind and feeling with the heart were two different things. When the Force had given him a vision of Bant falling under a blaster shot on the very spot he was about to step over, it had been too much for him.

Thank the Force his collapse had been brief and he had been able to complete the mission, but the anguish he had felt still lingered inside him.

Obi-Wan heard a rustle of fabric, but it did not come from the bed at his side, but from the two cribs in the centre of the room.

He smiled gently as he thought of Padmé's twins. They were a boy and a girl, one blond as his father, the other brown haired as her mother—and both as powerful in the Force as Anakin.

Anakin… Obi-Wan closed his eyes. Did you do this for them, Anakin? Were you afraid we would take them away? Is that why you didn't tell me? Was it my fault? Should I have made it clearer that I would never betray your secret? But truly, Anakin, I thought you knew…

A soft groan coming from the bed put an end to Obi-Wan's musings. He sat straighter and watched intently as Padmé's eyelids fluttered and then opened. She blinked, confusion filling her brown eyes at the sight of that unfamiliar room, until it was replaced by wonder when her gaze posed on Obi-Wan.

There was a moment of stillness, then Padmé sat up on the mattress and threw her arms around Obi-Wan's neck.

"You are alive!" she exclaimed, burying her face in his chest.

Taken aback by her sudden, emotional reaction, Obi-Wan slowly raised his arms to hug her. He was assaulted by waves of affection and relief but also of shock and guilt.

Obi-Wan tried to soothe her by murmuring, "Calm down, Padmé, you and your children are safe now…everything is all right…shhh…."

Padmé pulled back her tear-streaked face and looked sadly at him. "No, Obi-Wan, it's not all right. Anakin…Anakin…."

Obi-Wan breathed deeply. "I know Padmé. I know what he did."

Padmé shook her head, as her tears kept on falling. "It's all my fault, Obi-Wan. I should have told you when you came to visit me, before leaving for Utapau. You told me Anakin was stressed and asked me if I knew why…" she swallowed hard. "I knew why Obi-Wan, but I didn't tell you."

"Shhh, Padmé, calm down. You couldn't know this would happen…"

"You are wrong, Obi-Wan! I knew! I knew Anakin was obsessed by a dream in which he saw me die. I knew he was frantic with the need to find a way to "save" me. I knew he had grown too close to Palpatine and mistrusting of the Jedi. I knew all of this—and I said nothing. I did nothing, Obi-Wan!" Padmé almost screamed, digging her fingers in his forearms. "I allowed that monster to corrupt Anakin! It's all my fault!"

Obi-Wan shook his head and took her hands in his own. "No, Padmé, Anakin allowed himself to be corrupted—it was his choice. Palpatine is a Sith Lord and he certainly found a way to tempt him, but it would not have worked if Anakin didn't choose to give in."

Obi-Wan let his words sink in, distractedly noticing they were the same concepts Qui-Gon and Yoda had used to make him see the truth—Anakin had chosen his fate, nobody had pushed him there.

A small cry broke the silence that had fallen over the room and both adults turned their heads toward the cribs. Obi-Wan let go of Padmé's hands and she stood up, going to check her children.

Obi-Wan followed her and watched as she caressed the two tiny heads. "I will have to feed them soon…I don't know what time is it or where we are, but I know they will soon start screaming their lungs off."

The Jedi master smiled. "We are on the _Tantive IV_, Senator's Organa ship, and we have everything you may need for…-" he tilted his head, waiting for her to supply the names.

"- Luke and Leia," Padmé murmured.

"Hope and Light," Obi-Wan nodded. "Let's hope they will be auspicious."

"I'm sure they will be. These past weeks have been horrible. Palpatine and his clones have arrived in the middle of the night and have taken me to the Jedi Temple…obliging me to walk over all those corpses. Palpatine taunted me asking if I liked my husband's handiwork and telling me one day my children would follow their father's steps. It was terrible, because even if I desperately wanted not to believe Anakin had committed those atrocities, I knew it was the truth. Palpatine was near me when I gave birth, Obi-Wan. He was there and watched my children with greedy eyes and I thought… I thought he would kill me then…but he did not. He said he needed me alive to control Anakin…"

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard as her words confirmed his suspicions and raised his hopes.

"What will happen next, Obi-Wan?"

"Senator Organa and Master Yoda will take you and the children to a place where Sidious cannot find you. As for myself…" Obi-Wan took a deep breath and decided to tell her the whole truth, "I plan to return to Coruscant and confront Anakin. I still harbour the hope to be able to convince him to return to the light-"

Padmé's eyes brightened, as she interjected, "I know there is still good in him, Obi-Wan. I know there still is…"

"- but should it not work…I will do what I must."

"You mean you will kill him?" Padmé whispered, her eyes filled again with tears.

Obi-Wan could only nod. "You have seen what he has done, Padmé…what he can still do. He has become a terrible threat and it is my duty to do everything to stop him."

"I know, Obi-Wan, I know—but please, don't leave anything untried before igniting your lightsabre against Anakin…" Padmé pleaded.

Obi-Wan took her chilly hands in his own and staring into her eyes said, "I promise, Padmé, I promise."

---

Patience had never been Asajj Ventress' strongest virtue, but perhaps Obi-Wan was passing her some of his own.

There was no other explanation for how calm she was during the days they waited for Anakin Skywalker's return on Coruscant. Senator Organa had informed them "Lord Vader" was off planet, so there was nothing she and Obi-Wan could do but wait.

Obi-Wan spent much of the time meditating and preparing for the task ahead. He did not speak much, but Asajj knew he was strengthening his resolve to be ready to kill Skywalker should it be impossible to bring him back to the light.

Asajj knew, so attuned she was with her bonded due to their shared meditations, that having to kill Skywalker, the closest thing he ever had to a son, would break Obi-Wan's heart so badly he would probably never recover from the blow.

The aguish he felt when he only imagined that event, pushed Asajj to make a decision: should the necessity arise, she would fight Skywalker, so that Obi-Wan could be spared that pain.

Asajj should have been surprised by her desire to help him in this way, fully knowing that her chances of surviving a duel with Skywalker were slim. Fighting Vader would almost certainly mean her death, and she had never been the self-sacrificing type.

But it was no longer so.

She was ready to give her life if it meant Obi-Wan would not suffer.

She did not want him to suffer any more than he had already because, in the middle of one of her meditations, she had discovered an amazing truth.

She had fallen in love with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Or better, she loved Obi-Wan.

The discovery had been shocking because she had never thought that in her heart, hardened by so much hate and anger, there could be place for such a feeling.

Asajj had felt lust in the past, toward Obi-Wan and other men. She had felt desire and need, but never love.

She had never felt the compulsion to put another's well-being and happiness before her own. She had never been ready to sacrifice her life so that someone else could live. Now she was.

Kneeling on the carpet of her bedroom in the small flat they were staying in during their waiting, Asajj Ventress swore that from that moment on Obi-Wan would always come first in her thoughts and actions.

He was a Jedi and the chance he may one day reciprocate her feelings were nil, but she loved him and would gladly spend the rest of her life at his side, caring for him as much as he allowed her to, content only to be near him.

Asajj heard steps come closer and raised her eyes as Obi-Wan stopped by the threshold.

"It is time to move. Senator Organa informed me Anakin has returned," he said, looking tense.

She nodded and stood up, calling her robe to her hand with the Force. She put in on, pulled up her hood and followed Obi-Wan out of the room and the flat toward their confrontation with Vader and their meeting with destiny.


	10. Chapter 10

Lord Vader had taken residence in the 500 Republica apartment that belonged to his wife. So it was there Obi-Wan and Asajj went.

The Jedi master knew his way around the building quite well, having studied its layout during the time he and Anakin had been protecting Senator Amidala before the war. Thus it was easy for them to sneak inside the tall tower and reach the right floor unnoticed.

Once there, Obi-Wan was assaulted by the dark side and by the terrible anger coming from inside the apartment.

Senator Organa's spies had reported Lord Vader had returned from his mission in a foul mood and that two guards had been Force-chocked to death only because they had not answered quickly enough to his summons.

Obi-Wan almost recoiled in front of all that anger, a part of him still unwilling to believe the bright presence of the Anakin he had known could become so dark.

Then he strengthened his shields, took a moment to centre himself and, with a last look to Asajj, he used the Force to open the door.

The lights were on in the spacious atrium, but the room was empty. They advanced cautiously into the apartment, and Obi-Wan let the anger he was sensing guide him to his target.

There…Anakin was in Padmé's private office. The door was open, the lights on and slight noises came from there.

Obi-Wan looked at Asajj, tilting his head, and after receiving her nod of confirmation, he stepped into the study.

There was someone sitting on the high backed rotating chair, but when it spun around Obi-Wan realized with horror the man sitting there was not Anakin.

It was Darth Sidious.

The Sith's face was now a deformed, grotesque mask of pure evil. His eyes were yellow and malicious and his lips bent in a grin.

Obi-Wan recovered quickly and he unclipped his lightsabre.

"Sidious," he hissed.

"Well, well, well, look who is there. Master Kenobi and Commander Ventress, Dooku's pet assassin. I thought you wanted to become a Sith, my dear. What are you doing with this Jedi renegade?"

Asajj didn't answer, and Sidious returned to concentrate on Obi-Wan.

"I thought you dead, Kenobi—and you should have stayed so. You could have lived out your days meditating as you Jedi like so much…" the Sith said, acidly. "But no, you had to interfere into my plans, you meddlesome Jedi!" He stood up and circled the desk, as Obi-Wan and Asajj moved to the side, not backing away but still keeping a good distance from their enemy.

"I sensed your presence in the Jedi Temple, Kenobi. I knew it was you who took away my future apprentices. And since you Jedi are so predictable in your compassionate ways, I knew you would try to see Darth Vader to convince him to betray me. That's why I made sure Organa's spies reported to you _my_ apprentice's return," Sidious smirked, emphasizing the 'my'. "Tell me where the children are, Kenobi, and I will allow you to live and to retire in peace."

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "I'm afraid I cannot accept your offer, Emperor. The children are safe now. They will be trained as Jedi and one day they will return to make you pay for everything you did. In the mean time…" Obi-Wan ignited his lightsabre and, without taking his eyes off Sidious, said, "Go away, Asajj, save yourself. There is no reason for you to stay."

"I'm not going anywhere, Kenobi," she answered as her green blade sprang to life. "We are in this together."

Sidious chalked and clapped his hands, before gesturing toward the door, making it slid close. "Such loyalty you inspire, Kenobi! Too bad you failed to inspire it in your apprentice! It must hurt you to know the boy you have sacrificed so much for has betrayed you. Have you seen the records of his handiwork in the Jedi Temple? Have you seen the pleasure Lord Vader had when he plunged his blade in all the Jedi he spotted? Do you know he killed children?"

While he talked the Sith sent images of Anakin's deeds against Obi-Wan's shields, trying to cause a reaction in the Jedi.

Obi-Wan didn't react. He let those terrible images slip by his consciousness and remained detached and centred, waiting for the Sith to make the first move.

Obi-Wan was aware he wasn't strong enough to win against Sidious. Yoda was much more powerful than he, and yet he had failed too. However, it didn't mean he was resigned to die without first trying everything he could. His only regret was Asajj would die with him—but since he was a Jedi, he let go of that regret too and prepared for the imminent attack.

There was a sudden shift in the Force and Obi-Wan cried out, "No, Asajj!", but it was too late. His bonded leapt forward, lightsabre raised over her head with both her hands, only to be hit mid air by blue lighting sprung from Sidious' fingertips.

The force of the impact sent her slamming against the opposite wall, much like it had happened to Anakin during their duel with Dooku on Geonosis.

Obi-Wan threw a concerned glance at Asajj, as she fell, unmoving on the floor, then returned his whole attention on Sidious.

The Dark Lord chalked again. "You are alone now, Jedi. Tell me where the children are, and I will make this painless."

"I will never tell you, Sidious."

"I wouldn't be so sure of it, Kenobi…by the time I'm finished with you, you will tell me everything."

A lightsabre hilt flew to the Sith's hand from the desk and a red blade came to life as Sidious attacked.

Obi-Wan parried the blow aimed to cut his right arm off, and responded with slash of its own. Sidious avoided it easily, as his blade struck again.

Jedi and Sith engaged in a ferocious fight that had them moving back and forth across the room, destroying pieces of furniture and scorching the walls with their lightsabres.

The more the duel progressed, the more Obi-Wan had the sickening certainty Sidious was playing a game with him. The Sith Lord was powerful and very quick and the Jedi Master had the feeling he wasn't exerting himself to his fullest power. Why? It was like he merely wanted to tire the Jedi—which he was managing to do quite well.

Obi-Wan was sweating profusely and his arms were aching. Sidious was proficient in several forms and switched from one to the other with ease, not giving Obi-Wan the time to analyze his weak points in order to use them against him.

Obi-Wan saw a movement with the corner of his eyes. Asajj had regained her senses and was trying to sneak behind Sidious, her 'sabre ready to strike. But the Sith was once again quicker: he reached out with his hand and pinned Asajj to the wall, using the force to keep her there.

Then he returned to concentrate on the duel and snarled, "I'm getting tired of this." Speaking so Sidious feigned to slash at Obi-Wan's legs and when the Jedi lowered his blade to par the blow, he quickly raised his lightsabre.

Obi-Wan cried out when the crimson blade penetrated his shoulder. The burning sensation zapped along his nerves, setting his whole body afire.

Grinning sadistically, Sidious didn't retract the blade, but twisted it in the wound, adding to the Jedi's agony.

Obi-Wan fell down on his knees as the Sith finally stepped back and switched off his weapon.

Obi-Wan was shaking and he forced himself to control his breathing and release his pain. The agony in his body hadn't lessened with the 'sabre's removal and he wondered idly if Qui-Gon had suffered as much when he had been slain.

"So Master Kenobi, are you ready to tell me where the children are?"

Obi-Wan took another deep breath, and raising his head he locked his clear, resolute eyes with the Sith's yellow ones. He forced his trembling legs to obey him and stood up, pressing his left hand against his wounded shoulder.

"I will never tell you, Emperor. So you can save your time and kill me now."

The Sith growled and lashed out in a blink of an eye, plunging his blade into the Jedi's left thigh.

Obi-Wan cried in pain and collapsed, barely aware of Asajj shouting his name. Again Sidious twisted the blade in his muscles, taking a perverse pleasure in his screams.

"Tell me where my children are, Kenobi, or I will start cutting you and your friend here into pieces!" Sidious roared.

"_Your_ children, Master?" A new voice asked, coming from the now open door.

Obi-Wan's heart surged.

Anakin!

Anakin was there and the Jedi could feel suspicion in his tone.

"What children, Master?" the young man repeated, stepping inside the room and looking down at his former master. His blue eyes locked with Obi-Wan's, and the older man thought he saw pain flash in them.

Obi-Wan didn't waste a moment. "He is talking about your children, Anakin—yours and Padmé. He wants them for himself."

"My children?" Anakin murmured, his face full of wonder. "Have they been born? How is Padmé?"

"She is fine, but certainly not because of your master!" Obi-Wan answered. "He kidnapped and scared her to death while she was so heavily pregnant. It's a miracle she didn't have a premature labour!"

Anakin's eyes narrowed as he stared at the older Sith.

"You wouldn't believe him, would you, Lord Vader?" Sidious hissed. "This lying Jedi is only trying to create friction between us."

"Really?" Asajj interjected, still pinned to the wall. "Then why are you torturing Obi-Wan? Tell it to your apprentice! Tell him you want to know where we took Padmé and the children!"

Anakin knelt at Obi-Wan's side. "What is she saying? Where did you take Padmé and the twins?"

Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes, trying to block out his pain. "We found them inside the Jedi Temple, in the Force shielded cells in the underground levels, and took them to a safe place."

Anakin's nostrils flared. "The Temple…Is that why you didn't allow me to visit it?" he snarled at Sidious.

"He is lying to you, Lord Vader, as he has done for his entire life!" The Sith Lord tried to sound confident, but he took a step back from his angry apprentice.

"No!" Obi-Wan cried, pushing himself to a sitting position using his left arm and his sheer will. "I have never lied to you Anakin." He lowered his shields and murmured, "Look into my mind, if you want."

Anakin's eyes widened at the unexpected offer, but he didn't accept it. However, he didn't turn away and Obi-Wan said, "Trust me, Anakin, as I have always trusted you. It's not too late to save yourself. Return to the light and fulfil your destiny. Redeem yourself and everything will be all right."

"Don't believe him, son! He will never forgive you for what you did. The Jedi don't believe one can repudiate the dark side," Sidious said, his voice filled with paternal concern.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "The Jedi believe redemption is possible. I believe it is. Look at Asajj, Anakin… she has left the darkness behind. You can do the same. I will help you Anakin. You won't be alone in this, I promise. Do it for Padmé, for Luke and Leia…"

"Luke…and…Leia?" Anakin repeated hesitantly.

"Yes Anakin. Your children."

"My children…" Anakin's eyes brightened with tears as feelings of love, of pure, uncorrupted love filled him.

Obi-Wan's breath caught in his throat as he sensed the darkness in Anakin recede. Sidious felt it too, and decided to act before it was too late.

"Die Jedi!" he exclaimed, raised his lightsabre and lowered it with the intent to behead Obi-Wan.

Anakin was quicker and blocked the blow with his blade—a blade that wasn't crimson but still blue.

"Lord Vader!" Sidious snarled. "How do you dare to rebel against me?"

"Darth Vader is dead, Lord Sidious. You have been cheating and manipulating me for…how long? You have kidnapped Padmé, and put her in danger…" Anakin hissed.

"Calm down, my young friend. We can find a way to repair this misunderstanding."

"No, Sidious, I'm not your friend." The young man looked briefly at Obi-Wan, who nodded in approval. "I'm a Jedi—and Jedi don't deal with Sith."

Sidious let out an animalistic growl and snarled, baring his rotten teeth, "So be it, Jedi! You will die and then I will find your children and make them my new apprentices!"

"Never!" Anakin raised his lightsabre to block Sidious' one, then quickly started his offensive. He was fast, accurate and strong in the Force. He fought as never before in his life, with absolute balance and not an ounce of the impulsivity and anger he had often displayed during the war. He fought as the Jedi Obi-Wan had always thought he would one day become. He fought as the Chosen One—and Sidious never stood a chance against him.

The Sith lord's moves became less and less accurate the more the duel progressed, until, in the end, he wasn't quick enough in raising his lightsabre in defence, and Anakin beheaded him.

There was a moment of stillness following the loud thud produced by Sidious' corpse falling down. Then three things happened: Asajj was able to move away from the wall she had been pinned against, Anakin put away his lightsabre and Obi-Wan slumped back against the pavement.

"Master!"

"Obi-Wan!"

Two voices cried in unison as Anakin and Asajj rushed to Obi-Wan's side. The woman reached him first and kneeling down, he gently raised his back. "Obi-Wan," she repeated.

He turned his head toward her. "Asajj…I was right…"

"Yes, you were," she murmured, pushing his sweaty hair away from his brow.

Anakin knelt at his side too. "Forgive me Master," he whispered. "I know I don't have the right to ask you now, but…" the young man bowed his head, ashamed

"I already have, Anakin…" Obi-Wan tried to raise his left hand to touch him, but he could not. His strength was rapidly waning, as a blessed numbness was enveloping his battered body. His eyelids became more and more heavy and finally he gave in to the desire to close his eyes.

"Don't you dare die on me, Kenobi!" Asajj cried and he smiled, feeling her affection in her panicked tone and in the bond.

Jedi weren't supposed to need anything but the Force, but it felt nice to have her caring for him…as much as he cared for her.


	11. Chapter 11

**IV- Naboo**

Asajj was sitting on the marble balustrade that surrounded the terrace of Senator Amidala's villa on Naboo. It overlooked the lake and the woman's eyes reverted to the placid waters, enjoying how the spring sun reflected on it.

Naboo was a beautiful planet, peaceful and full of green, so different from her native Rattatak. Asajj thought she would like to live there.

She sensed someone approach and turning her head she saw it was Padmé Amidala, pushing the hover double crib with her children.

"Good afternoon, Asajj," the younger woman greeted her.

"Good afternoon, Senator."

"Please Asajj, I have told you to call me Padmé. We are all friends here, there is no need for formality."

Asajj nodded. It was true. Since their arrival on Naboo, the other woman had done her best to make sure she and Obi-Wan felt at home. She had been friendly and kind but Asajj found it difficult to relax in her presence, especially when they were alone.

Padmé Amidala was everything she was not: beautiful, refined, educated, feminine, graceful—a true lady. A woman any man would want. Asajj couldn't help but feel inadequate in her presence.

She was not beautiful, with her bald head and her white skin marred by scars.

She was not graceful or refined, having been raised to be a warrior since she was a child.

She was not educated or cultured, because she never had the time to study.

"How is Obi-Wan?" the senator asked, bringing her back to the present.

Asajj smiled. "He is doing better. The healers say he will make a complete recovery. He should be able to stand up and leave the bed soon."

Padmé smiled back. "It's wonderful news. I'm sure you are feeling very relieved knowing he will be all right."

Asajj frowned at the other's tone. "Of course I'm relieved. As is everybody in this villa, from Anakin, to Master Yoda, to the other Jedi that keep on arriving here. Obi-Wan is a great master and the surviving Jedi need him to teach the future generations."

Padmé looked briefly down to her sleeping children then said, "I hope you won't consider me too meddlesome if I tell you I believe you consider Obi-Wan much more than a Jedi master."

Asajj almost gasped. Had she betrayed her feelings so much a Force-blind person had guessed them?

Padmé smiled gently and answered as if she had been reading her mind, "Asajj, I don't need to be Force-sensitive to understand you love him. It's clearly visible in the way you look at him, in how you have been caring for him these past days, in how you touch him."

Asajj straightened her back and commented, "Then it means I will have to keep myself in check better, so that Obi-Wan will not notice my behaviour."

"Why?"

"Padmé, your husband may have broken the rule Jedi have against attachment, but Obi-Wan isn't going to do it—not even if he liked me as a woman, which he doesn't. I have seen in his mind and I know that many years ago he fell in love with another padawan, but he let her go because being a Jedi was too important for him." Asajj didn't know what was compelling her to reveal such intimate details to the other woman…or did she?

She needed to unburden her heart, and this was the only area were Obi-Wan couldn't help her.

"Why do you say he doesn't like you?"

Asajj threw her a strange look. "Have you given a look –a good one – at me? How could a man as handsome as Obi-Wan like me?"

"I have and he does. Asajj, Anakin told me you have a bond with Obi-Wan…you should know by now that Obi-Wan isn't the kind of man that stops at outer appearances. He is the kind of man that looks at the inner core of a person first—and if he likes what he finds, the physical look doesn't matter to him. _But_ he likes that too in you. You should see how he watches you when you exercise with that leather jumpsuit of yours. I can tell you that is most certainly not the gaze of a Jedi master!" Padmé concluded with a smile.

Asajj wanted to make an ironic comment but stopped as she remembered what had happened the previous day.

She had been performing katas with Skywalker, a series of slow exercises meant to be a 'moving meditation' in order to help the young man to release the guilt he felt because of his actions.

Obi-Wan had been giving them instructions from the couch he was reclining on, telling them when to speed up or slow down the movements.

After a while he had fallen silent and Asajj had thought he might have slumbered. So she had turned to check him, and she had found him wide awake and staring at her with an intent look she had not been able to decipher. Taken aback, Asajj had probed their bond and Obi-Wan had reacted by lowering his eyes—but not before she could see his cheeks redden.

Asajj's mouth opened slightly in surprise. Was it possible?

"Do you really think he may be interested in me as a woman?" she finally asked Padmé with a voice she barely recognized as her own.

Padmé smiled and sat by her side. "I have known Obi-Wan for many years. He is gentle and caring, but reserved. He seldom shows his feelings. Yet since he has arrived on Naboo, he has displayed many signals of a man in love. I'm not sure he realizes he is in love, but I'm sure he is, with you."

Asajj pursed her lips and murmured, "Maybe you are right and he loves me—but the fact he loves me doesn't mean he will act on his feelings. He is a Jedi."

Not surprisingly, Padmè, didn't reply to her words. She was a grounded woman, she wasn't going to sweeten what they both knew was the reality. Obi-Wan wasn't Anakin. He wasn't going to break the rules to pursue a relationship forbidden by the Order that was his life.

Silence fell on the terrace as Asajj returned to stare at the lake and the luxurious forests that stretched beyond it, as she tried to forget the whole conversation. There was no sense in torturing herself with the ifs and the maybe. The only important thing was that her desire and decision to be at Obi-Wan's side no matter what, was still there—and there it would remain.


	12. Chapter 12

Obi-Wan was walking along the gravel covered path that led from Padmé's villa to the lake. He was moving slowly, cautiously, using a cane to support his weight every time he posed down on his left foot.

His thigh muscles had needed a complete regeneration due to the massive damage inflicted by Sidious and were still stiff. He had hoped a leisurely walk would help to loosen them.

Obi-Wan also had another reason to take that stroll without informing anyone about his plans. He needed to think, mostly about himself and Asajj, and to be alone for a while.

Since their arrival on Naboo, Obi-Wan had had little time for himself. There had been painful physical therapy sessions, as he had learned again how to walk. There had been long meetings with the surviving Jedi that, one by one, had flocked to Padmé's villa when the news had spread that Obi-Wan and Yoda were there and it was safe to leave their hiding places. There had been the shared meditations with Anakin to help him to completely dispel the darkness inside him and avoid the guilt he was feeling that could fester and lead him on the wrong path again.

Obi-Wan had had only a few moments for himself, but even a life so busy hadn't been enough to prevent him from realizing his feelings for Asajj had taken an unexpected turn.

Since Utapau and the formation of their bond, the two of them had been almost inseparable and the closeness had brought unthought-of results.

The admiration he had felt for how she had been able to repudiate her darkness, and the gratitude he had felt for how she had helped and cared for him had given place to something else.

The previous week Obi-Wan had seen Asajj laugh when a Nubian squirrel she had tried to coax closer with nuts had finally taken the food from her hand. Her laughter had been as joyous and carefree as a child's, filling her whole face with a special light.

_"She is beautiful,"_ Obi-Wan had thought while watching her. "_I would do everything to see her always as happy."_

Then, a few days later, he had caught himself staring as Asajj and Anakin exercised on the terrace, not like a teacher watching if a _kata_ was correctly performed, but as a man wondering what it would be like to peel that leather jumpsuit from her to caress the skin beneath.

He had blushed crimson – something he hadn't done since his teenage years – when Asajj had turned around and caught him staring.

This behaviour had left Obi-Wan confused and embarrassed and he had spent a lot of time meditating on it. The conclusion he had reached had left him stunned. He had fallen in love.

He loved Asajj Ventress, the woman who had tried to kill him but was also his bonded and trusted companion. He loved her and didn't know what to do about it.

On one hand, he was a Jedi and attachments were forbidden to the members of his order. On the other, Asajj and he had been tied by a Force-induced bond. Should he decide not to act on his feelings, he would not be able to stay away from her for years as he had done when he and Siri had decided not to pursue their love. Also, the recent events involving Anakin, had made Obi-Wan seriously ponder the wisdom of the non-attachment rule, especially now that the Jedi's numbers were so low.

Having reached the end of the path, Obi-Wan stepped into a small, grassy clearing and slowly, painfully knelt in a meditative position.

_"Are you sure that is a wise thing to do?" _Qui-Gon's voice echoed around him, both concerned and amused.

"Probably not Qui-Gon, but it's too late. I doubt I will be able to stand up again without help," Obi-Wan grimaced.

_"Call for your bondmate, she will come to help you up."_

"Not yet; I need to meditate first, about her and our relationship."

_"Your relationship?"_

Obi-Wan looked at the lake as he collected his thoughts. "I love her, Master."

_"You finally realized it, Padawan. I'm so glad you did."_

"So you approve of it?"

_"Yes, I do. But tell me, Obi-Wan, how do you feel about it?"_

"I'm conflicted, Qui-Gon. The Code forbids attachments and love, but I'm no longer sure it is right. During this past month I have observed Anakin and seen how the love he harbours for his wife and children is helping him to regain his piece of mind. He is calmer, more centred and balanced now that he is openly able to be with his family. I cannot help but wonder how things could have gone had he been allowed to express his love from the start without having to keep it secret from me and the Council. Had he felt free to talk with me about his fears for Padmé, he wouldn't have been so vulnerable to Palpatine's manipulations."

_"What you say is right, but you must keep in mind two things. One: had Anakin behaved with his feelings for Padmé like you did with your own for Siri, none of this would have happened. Two: there was something unhealthy in Anakin's desire to save Padmé at any cost,"_ Qui-Gon's incorporeal voice pointed out.

"I know," Obi-Wan nodded. "Anakin was obsessed. It was his obsessive attachment that led him to his fall—but it was his pure love that brought him back. Love and obsession aren't the same thing, and Jedi could learn to cope with them."

"Wise master you have become, Obi-Wan," Yoda interjected, appearing from behind some tall bushes and hobbling into the clearing. "Agree with your conclusions, I do. For a change in the Code, the time has come. Good example to the others you and your bonded will give."

Obi-Wan was taken aback by Yoda's words. He hadn't expected the old master would agree with him.

Yoda looked at him with sorrowful eyes. "The Jedi are almost no more, my fault is." Obi-Wan tried to protest, but the diminutive master raised his hand in a silencing gesture. "Too old I am. Too rigid. Too arrogant to see that the old way is not the _only _way. These Jedi, I trained to be­come the Jedi who had trained me, long centuries ago—but those ancient Jedi, of a different time they were. Changed, has the galaxy. Changed, the Order did not—because _let _it change, _I_ did not. To repair this, we must now, Master Obi-Wan. Everything changes, and the Jedi change must too."

_"Yoda is right, Obi-Wan. The Jedi need to evolve. Your bond with Asajj was Force-induced. The Force does nothing on a whim. Perhaps your purpose is now to teach a new way to the Jedi. I'm sure your bonded will be happy to help you,"_ Qui-Gon concluded, humour colouring his tone.

"Master?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised by the last line.

_"She loves you too, my friend, and just like you she doesn't know what to do. She is afraid she would offend you if she made her feelings known. You will have to make the first move and let her know how you feel."_

**-----**

Asajj was on the balcony of her assigned room, enjoying the sun and the fresh, pure air, storing away those sensations, so she would be able to recapture them when she would have to return to Coruscant, along with Obi-Wan and the other Jedi.

"It is really a beautiful place, is it not?" Obi-Wan's voice called from behind her and Asajj rushed to wrap her bathrobe tighter around her body. She had taken a shower to wash the sweat formed during her training with Skywalker, and since dinner was hours away, she had not yet redressed.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Obi-Wan added when she failed to reply, lingering on the threshold.

"No, no," Asajj hastened to answer with a slight smile. "Come in, I was enjoying the sunset."

Obi-Wan crossed the room to the balcony and she noticed with relief his limp was less noticeable.

Once at her side, he posed his cane against the wall and folded his arms on his chest. "Such a serene place," he commented.

"Indeed."

"Master Yoda and I are considering establishing the new Jedi Temple here."

"Here?" Asajj turned to face Obi-Wan, surprised.

"Yes. It's a friendly environment, strong in the Living Force, away from Coruscant and its politics but still close enough to the capital to be easily reachable. It would be the ideal place for the Jedi to heal from the horrors of the war and the Purge, to train and to grow their children." Obi-Wan explained.

"Their children?" Asajj repeated, wondering if he was referring to the padawans that were to come or to children born from the Jedi.

"We have decided to lift the ban against attachment. From now on Jedi will be allowed to keep in contact with their family of origin, marry, have children—but they will be also taught how to control such attachments so they don't become obsessions."

Asajj's mind was abuzz with possibilities, but she forced herself to stay calm and not let her longing leak through the bond.

"What made you change your mind on this?"

"Well, our numbers are very low, only eighty knights or so, and if the Order wants to survive, we need Force sensitive children to perpetuate it. The removal of the ban should encourage the knights to create families and maybe will convince those parents that refused to give us their children because they didn't want to lose them to reconsider their decision. Also, Anakin's story shows what can happen if someone chooses to pursue something natural but forbidden. Anakin's fear to be discovered and the lies he had to say prepared the ground for Palpaltine's temptation."

Asajj nodded. "This is quite logical. I think you made a good decision."

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "I'm relieved you approve, because Yoda and Qui-Gon believe you and I will have to set the good example for the other Jedi."

"What?!" she almost sputtered.

Obi-Wan shifted his weight and Asajj noticed for the first time how tense he looked.

Suddenly Asajj's heart started beating faster as she remembered the conversation she had with Padmé a few days before. Was it possible?

"Asajj-" Obi-Wan stopped, took a deep breath and started again. "Asajj, I must say something to you. Something has happened during the time we have spent together. My feelings for you have deepened and changed. Maybe it was because of the bond. Maybe this started long ago, when we tried to kill each other and failed. I find I don't really care about the why and the when. I love you, Asajj, and I would be honoured if you chose to pursue a relationship with me."

Asajj's breath had caught in her throat during his speech, but she released it after he stopped talking, as she smiled.

"Obi-Wan," she said calmly, "I love you too. As you said, it might have started long ago, but what really matters is the here and now. I love you, my bond-mate, and I look forward to spending my life at your side."

A slow smile spread on Obi-Wan's lips, reaching his eyes and setting his whole face alight with joy. Asajj had never seen him smile like that before, but she vowed in that moment she would do her best to make sure he would always smile like this.

Silence fell on the pair, as they watched each other, their emotions travelling back and forth along the bond, because it was easier for them to express them that way than using words.

Then, slowly, little by little, their faces got closer until their lips met in their first kiss.

Around them, the sky coloured with the yellow-rose colours of the sunset, but for Obi-Wan and Asajj, that was only the beginning.

THE END


End file.
